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Wednesday, December 4, 2024

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Remco Evenepoel taken to hospital with broken collarbone after crashing into car door during training

Here is the story from The Independent:

On the Kerkplein in Oetingen, in the province of Flemish Brabant, Remco Evenepoel (24) was involved in an accident on Tuesday morning. Evenepoel was then taken to the Erasmus Hospital in Anderlecht with pain in his shoulder. After the first examinations it appeared that he had broken his left collarbone, the true severity of the injury will be further investigated in the hospital in Herentals.

Evenepoel was on a training ride and came from the direction of the Lenniksestraat. At the Kerkplein he then crashed into the door of a Bpost postal van. The postman is said to have suddenly swung her door open. Evenepoel was conscious and sitting upright with a blanket wrapped around him. Evenepoel was reportedly shivering violently.

Evenepoel is put into an ambulance. Photo: Het Nieuwsblad

"We are still on our way, but we don't know much more ourselves," father Patrick Evenepoel already said. “He was taken to the Erasmus hospital in Anderlecht under the supervision of an MUG team. He has already sent us a message, so we hope that everything is okay. According to what I hear, he fell after colliding with the swinging door of a Bpost car.”

Evenepoel's bike after the crash.

Evenepoel mainly suffered pain in his left shoulder and the verdict was not long in coming: a broken collarbone. It is said to be a ‘nice fracture’, but Evenepoel will be transferred to the hospital in Herentals for further medical follow-up to further investigate the exact severity of the injury and to determine whether or not surgery is necessary.

“We deeply regret what happened and will fully cooperate with the investigation,” Bpost responded to Belga. “We cannot comment on the exact circumstances of the accident. The police arrived on site to make the necessary observations and of course both Bpost and the postman involved will fully cooperate with the investigation. The postman in question, a woman, is also very upset. It is a very unfortunate incident and we sincerely hope that the great cycling champion Remco Evenepoel does not suffer any serious injuries.”

“He was lying on the ground for a while”, says Bart from Keurslager Bart and Sarah. They have their shop on the Kerkplein. “Remco was huddled afterwards, it was clearly a heavy blow. The door of the postal van was also completely twisted. His bike was completely broken, they folded it up like a wheelchair. When I went to look he looked pale, the emergency services gave him a coke. His wife Oumi was here at about the same time as the emergency services.”

“Never nice of course and something like that disrupts the build-up to the next season”, says Dirk Coppens from the supporters club in café In De Rustberg in Schepdaal. “But Remco has already been able to bounce back after much more serious incidents so I trust in a speedy recovery. We hope that he can get back on his bike soon and that everything is okay. But I don't know that myself at the moment. Normally we would have had a board meeting of the supporters' club tonight, of which father Patrick Evenepoel is chairman. So it may be postponed due to the circumstances, but we'll have to wait and see."

For Evenepoel, this accident is in any case a blemish on his preparation for the coming cycling season. Last weekend he was a guest in Qatar with the Formula 1 team of Alpine. Last week Evenepoel accompanied his teammates at Soudal-Quick Step on a bike ride on the beach. On Thursday, the double Olympic champion was present at the Europa League match of Anderlecht.

"I don't really have a holiday, but it fits in with the planning," Evenepoel explained at Play Sports at the time. "It is still a quiet period. I train and rest a bit, and I can do things now that I can't do otherwise, that's why I'm here now. It's not too late either, and right on the doorstep."

Evenepoel's Team Soudal Quick-Step posted this:

Following an incident while training today, Remco Evenepoel was taken to hospital where it was revealed that he has sustained fractures to his rib, right shoulder blade and his right hand.

Remco was taken to the Erasmus Hospital in Anderlecht shortly after the incident, where he was initially assessed. He will now travel to the hospital in Herentals, where alongside the Soudal Quick-Step medical staff, his injuries will be further assessed and the pathway for his recovery decided.

We wish him a speedy recovery!

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